From the layout of the house to the appliances you fill it with, there are many things you can do to make your home more eco-friendly.

When it comes to a new villa build, there are many things you can do to minimize the impact on the environment, from the construction to actually living in your new home.

It’s crucial to do your research and get these decisions right in the planning stages, as many things can be expensive, not to mention wasteful, to change later.

We try to incorporate as many sustainable initiatives as possible into Villa Amani Kuta Lombok, in both design and action.

Sustainable homes may be sustainable in the way they’re built, from the building materials used to the building techniques, or eco-friendly to live in—or preferably both!

We’ll look at different ideas, tips, and inspiration for designing a sustainable home.

When it comes to sustainable house design, the first thing you’ll need to do is choose the right location.

For more details, contact our friends at https://eco-mantra.com/.

LOCATION 
A few location factors can influence how eco-friendly your home and/or lifestyle will be:

Proximity to infrastructure: Installing new infrastructure and utility systems will inevitably have a huge impact on the local environment, so try to look for a site that takes advantage of existing infrastructure, unless you’re planning to go off-grid.

Proximity to transportation: sustainable house design has wider considerations than the house itself. For example, living near public transportation can help you pursue a much more eco-friendly lifestyle compared to driving your car everywhere. So consider how close your potential new home is to public transport routes, and look for a site within walking distance if possible. Walkscore is a great resource to check how walkable your new neighborhood is.

Vulnerability to natural disasters: Many regions are prone to natural disasters of one kind or another, so it’s not always possible to avoid this. However, if you build your house in an area vulnerable to flooding, earthquakes, or hurricanes, for example, make sure it is built to withstand such disasters so that it is sustainable over the long term.

MATERIALS
Building materials can be harmful to the environment in a variety of ways, from the air, water, and land pollution they generate in production to the energy required to create them.

When it comes to sustainable house design, it’s important to consider the embodied energy—the total impact of all greenhouse gas emissions created by a given material throughout its entire lifecycle—of solar panels.

Using recycled materials not only avoids many of these issues, but it also prevents these items from ending up in landfills. There is a large range of such building materials available these days, from those that were originally used for the same purpose, such as recycled tiles, to materials that have been completely repurposed, such as composite decking made from recycled plastic.

Some of the fantastic recycled building materials you’ll find to aid you with your sustainable house design and building project are:

• Bamboo
• Composites
• Recycled glass countertops
• Doors, floors, and other elements made from wood reclaimed from demolished or remodeled buildings
• Bricks and masonry that have also been reclaimed from old buildings
• Roof shingles made from recycled car tires
• Landscaping soil from excavations

If you cannot find recycled materials, try to go for those that are recyclable to minimize their long-term impact on the environment.

Use locally sourced building materials; we are big on this at Villa Amani.

Another way to keep your building materials eco-friendly is to source them locally as much as possible. Transporting local materials will generate fewer emissions compared to supplies that need to come from across the country or even across the world.

This may mean adapting your design to take advantage of the amazing materials available in your area. You may need to rethink the kind of house you want, but this will give your new home an authentic, local vibe!

You may even decide to build your home in a certain location based on the local building materials that are available.

ENERGY
When drafting your sustainable house design blueprint, taking energy efficiency into account can make a huge difference to the building’s impact on the environment. Any structure with a large surface area is less energy-efficient, as the increased surface area allows more heat to escape.

Therefore, a taller and more compact house is generally more energy-efficient than a low and wide structure with the same number of square feet. Similarly, cubes and spheres are more efficient than more irregular, spread-out shapes.

APPLIANCES
An eco-friendly home goes far beyond the design, location, and building materials you use—you also need to consider the appliances you use. Sustainable house design is also about filling your home with appliances that consume less energy, which is not only better for the environment but will also greatly reduce your energy bills or let you run your home on renewable energy.

Manufacturers are now offering low-energy appliances in just about any niche you can think of, from washing machines to kitchen appliances. At a minimum, look for Energy Star-rated appliances—this should cover everything from computers and TVs to kitchen appliances and water heaters.

LED lighting is also much more energy-efficient and lasts much longer. Even though it requires a larger upfront investment, this pays itself off over time because you won’t need to change your LED light bulbs for years!

HVAC
While energy-efficient appliances can make a difference, your heating and cooling are even more important, as this is where most homes’ energy consumption comes from. Therefore, energy-efficient HVAC (heat ventilation and air conditioning) is a key part of sustainable house design.

Nature is your friend. 
To maximize the energy efficiency of your sustainable house design, it’s important to consider not only how much energy you use but also where that energy comes from. Therefore, being more energy-efficient while relying on renewable energy is a win-win for sustainability!

One of the most popular (and best) ways to power your home with renewable energy is by using solar panels. It is relatively easy to install a solar system in your home to give you free, eco-friendly energy while adding value to your home.

CONCLUSION
Sustainable house design starts from where you decide to build your home and the layout you choose, to how you power it and the insulation.

There are many ways you can make your home more eco-friendly, ranging from smaller actions such as switching out the traditional grass lawn to the kind of house you choose to build. You may choose a sustainable tiny home or prefab house, but there are plenty of other ways to make your house more environmentally friendly.